Empyreal by Silent Games was crowned Best Indie Game Made in The North at the Game Republic Awards last night.
The ceremony, which took place at WX Wakefield in Yorkshire, was attended by more than 500 games industry representatives, and was hosted by Game Republic MD Jamie Sefton. The Best Indie Game Made in The North category was judged by a public vote and featured 15 nominees, including The Siege and the Sandfox by Cardboard Sword and Starship Troopers Continuum by XR Games.
The remaining categories were judged by Guardian games journalist Keith Stuart, who was unable to attend the show in person, but provided a recorded introduction that kicked off the proceedings.
The Game Republic Awards were held at WX Wakefield | Image credit: Lewis Packwood
Ian Stewart, founder of the Sheffield-based developer Gremlin Graphics, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Gremlin was formed in 1984 and became famous for titles like Zool and Premier Manager, but was bought by Infogrames in 1999 and closed in 2003.
In addition to the awards ceremony, more than 60 games were showcased from northern games companies, including ten from Scotland through a partnership between Game Republic and the Scottish Game Developers Association.
Ian Stewart won the Lifetime Achievement Award | Image credit: Yijia Zhan
The full list of winners of the Game Republic Awards is below:
Best Small Studio sponsored by Yogscast Games – Dink
Best Mid-Sized Studio sponsored by Other Things – Tanglewood Games
Best Large Studio sponsored by Eaton Smith Solicitors – D3T
Studio Hero Award sponsored by Plus Accounting – Natasha Vincent (EA Playdemic)
Inclusivity Award – Safe In Our World
Inspiring Course Leader sponsored by Double Eleven – Rob Charlish (Wakefield College)
Innovative Use of Technology Award sponsored by HP, AMD with Escape Technology – Reflex Arc
Community Manager Award – Pedro Silva (Double Eleven)
Martyn Brown Rising Star Award – Sarah York (Panda Cat Games)
Best Game-Related Research – Francesca Foffano (IGGI)
Games Legend Award sponsored by Red Kite Games – Darren Falcus
Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by Red Kite Games – Ian Stewart
Best Indie Game Made in The North sponsored by Xsolla – Empyreal (Silent Games)